Methods for forming void regions, dielectric regions and capacitor constructions

ABSTRACT

In one aspect, the invention includes a method of forming a void region associated with a substrate, comprising: a) providing a substrate; b) forming a sacrificial mass over the substrate; c) subjecting the mass to hydrogen to convert a component of the mass to a volatile form; and d) volatilizing the volatile form of the component from the mass to leave a void region associated with the substrate. In another aspect, the invention includes a method of forming a capacitor construction, comprising: a) forming a first capacitor electrode over a substrate; b) forming a sacrificial material proximate the first capacitor electrode; c) forming a second capacitor electrode proximate the sacrificial material, the second capacitor electrode being separated from the first capacitor electrode by the sacrificial material, at least one of the first and second electrodes being a metal-comprising layer; and d) subjecting the sacrificial material to conditions which transport a component from the sacrificial material to the metal-comprising layer, the transported component leaving a void region between the first and second capacitor electrodes.

RELATED PATENT DATA

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/146,117,filed on Sep. 2, 1998, titled “Methods for Forming Void Regions,Dielectric Regions and Capacitor Constructions”.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention pertains to methods of forming insulative regions and voidspaces. In one aspect, the invention pertains to methods of forminginsulative regions associated with semiconductive substrates. In anotheraspect, the invention pertains to methods of forming insulativedielectric regions for capacitor constructions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Insulative regions are commonly utilized in circuitry constructions toelectrically isolate conductive components. For instance, an insulativedielectric layer can be provided between capacitor electrodes to form acapacitor construction. As another example, an insulative material canbe provided between conductive lines to electrically isolate the linesfrom one another. The insulative materials can comprise, for example,silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide and undoped silicon.Although each of these materials has good insulative properties, thematerials also have high dielectric constants which can lead tocapacitive coupling between proximate conductive elements. For instance,silicon dioxide has a dielectric constant of about 4, silicon nitridehas a dielectric constant of about 8, and undoped silicon has adielectric constant of about 12.

A void region or space between two conducting materials also serves as adielectric and offers the lowest possible dielectric constant, having avalue equal to 1. It is noted that a void space can comprise a vacuum,but typically comprises some gases. A void space can alternatively bereferred to as a free space. Regardless of whether the term “void space”or “free space” is utilized herein, such refers to a space that is emptyof materials in a solid or liquid phase. It would be desirable todevelop methods of utilizing void regions as insulators in semiconductorconstructions.

In another aspect of the prior art, small, precisely configured voidregions can be formed by micro-machine technology. Such void regions canhave a number of applications, including, for example, utilization asmicro-fluidic flow columns for gas chromatography. It would be desirableto develop alternative methods of forming small, precisely configuredvoid regions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention encompasses a method of forming a voidregion associated with a substrate. A substrate is provided and asacrificial mass is formed over the substrate. The mass is subjected tohydrogen to convert a component of the mass to a volatile form. Thevolatile form of the component is volatilized from the mass to leave avoid region associated with the substrate.

In another aspect, the invention encompasses a method of forming acapacitor construction. A first capacitor electrode is formed over asubstrate, a sacrificial material is formed proximate the firstcapacitor electrode, and second capacitor electrode is formed proximatethe sacrificial material. The second capacitor electrode is separatedfrom the first capacitor electrode by the sacrificial material. At leastone of the first and second electrodes is a metal-comprising layerhaving certain selected properties. The sacrificial material issubjected to conditions which transport a component from the sacrificialmaterial to the metal-comprising layer. The transported component leavesa void region between the first and second capacitor electrodes.

In yet another aspect, the invention encompasses a void forming method.A first material, a second material, and a sacrificial mass areprovided, with the sacrificial mass being between the first and secondmaterials. Selected portions of the sacrificial mass are exposed toconditions which hydrogenate said selected portions. The exposingvolatilizes the selected portions to form at least one void within thesacrificial mass and between the first and second materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below withreference to the following accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional, fragmentary view of asemiconductor wafer fragment at a preliminary stage of a method of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of the FIG. 1 wafer fragment at a stage subsequent tothat of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional, fragmentary view of asemiconductor wafer fragment at a preliminary stage of a secondembodiment method of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view of the FIG. 3 wafer fragment at a stage subsequent tothat of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional, fragmentary view of asemiconductor wafer fragment at a preliminary stage of a thirdembodiment method of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view of the FIG. 5 wafer fragment at a stage subsequent tothat of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a semiconductor wafer processed according to afourth embodiment method of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, diagrammatic, cross-sectional sideview of theFIG. 7 semiconductor wafer along the line 8—8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of theconstitutional purposes of the U.S. Patent Laws “to promote the progressof science and useful arts” (Article 1, Section 8).

In one aspect, the present invention encompasses methods wherein atleast a portion of a sacrificial mass is volatilized to leave a voidregion. Such aspect is described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.Referring to FIG. 1, a semiconductor wafer fragment 10 is illustrated ata preliminary stage of the invention. Semiconductor wafer fragment 10comprises a substrate 12 and a supporting material 14 formed oversubstrate 12. Support material 14 can comprise, for example, aninsulative material, such as, for example, silicon dioxide. Substrate 12can comprise, for example, a silicon wafer lightly doped with a p-typebackground dopant. Alternatively, substrate 12 can comprise aninsulative material (such as, for example, silicon dioxide) or aconductive material (such as, for example, a conductive metal or asemiconductive material conductively doped with a conductivity-enhancingdopant). To aid the interpretation of the claims that follow, the term“semiconductor substrate” is defined to mean any construction comprisingsemiconductive material, including, but not limited to, bulksemiconductive materials such as a semiconductive wafer (either alone orin assemblies comprising other materials thereon), and semiconductivematerials layers (either alone or in assemblies comprising othermaterials). The term “substrate” refers to any supporting structure,including, but not limited to, the semiconductor substrates describedabove.

An opening 16 is formed within support material 14. Opening 16 can beformed by methods known to persons of ordinary skill in the art, suchas, for example, photolithographic processing.

A sacrificial mass 18 is formed within opening 16, and ametal-comprising layer 20 is formed over sacrificial mass 18.Sacrificial mass 18 can comprise either carbon or boron. Exemplarycarbon materials are amorphous carbon, polymethyl methacrylate,polystyrene and nylon. Exemplary boron materials are boron, boroncarbide (B₄C) and boron nitride. In alternative embodiments of theinvention, mass 18 can consist essentially of carbon, boron, or mixturesthereof. A sacrificial mass 18 of carbon can be formed within opening 16by, for example, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Asacrificial mass 18 of boron can be formed within opening 16 by, forexample, sputter deposition using a boron-containing target source.

Metal-comprising layer 20 can comprise, for example, metals, such astitanium, tantalum, vanadium, zirconium and other refractory metals, aswell as iron and chromium. Metal-comprising layer 20 can be formed by,for example, sputter deposition from an appropriate source. In the shownembodiment, metal-comprising layer 20 is confined within opening 16.Such confinement of metal-comprising layer 20 within opening 16 can beaccomplished by conventional methods, such as, for example,sputter-depositing the metal-comprising layer using an appropriatesputtering target followed by chemically-mechanically polishing toproduce a planarized surface as indicated by drawing in FIG. 1. Inalternative embodiments, metal-comprising layer 20 can extend outside ofopening 16 and over support material 14.

After formation of mass 18 and layer 20, wafer fragment 10 is exposed tohydrogen gas to convert at least a portion of sacrificial mass 18 to avolatile form. Specifically, wafer fragment 10 is placed within areaction chamber and subjected to a temperature of above 400° C., andmore preferably of from about 400° C. to about 800° C., and to apressure of from about 0.001 atmospheres to about 10 atmospheres in thepresence of an ambient comprising at least 1% hydrogen gas.Semiconductor wafer fragment 10 is exposed to such temperature andpressure conditions for a time of from about 0.01 minutes to about 100minutes. During such exposure, the hydrogen gas permeates metal layer 20and interacts with sacrificial mass 18 to hydrogenate at least a portionof sacrificial mass 18 and convert such portion to a volatile form. Ifsacrificial mass 18 comprises carbon, the carbon component of mass 18 isconverted to, for example, the volatile molecule methane (CH₄). Ifsacrificial mass 18 comprises boron, the boron is converted to, forexample, the volatile molecule diborane (B₂H₆).

The volatilized portion of mass 18 is transported to metal layer 20 bygas diffusion processes. In embodiments in which the volatilizedcomponent comprises methane, the carbon component of the methane cansubsequently react with metal layer 20 to become alloyed into layer 20as a carbide and/or as a solid solution. The reaction of the carbon inthe methane with the metal-comprising layer releases hydrogen gas.Typically, the hydrogen will be recycled by reacting with remainingcarbon in layer 18 to form more methane which, in turn, reacts with moremetal layer 20 to form a mixture of more carbide and/or solid solutionwhich, in turn, releases hydrogen to continue the process. The recyclingcan continue many times. Naturally, some hydrogen may out-diffusethrough the metal 10 at any time and be replenished by hydrogendiffusing in through metal 20 from the furnace ambient.

In embodiments in which sacrificial layer 18 comprises boron, thevolatilized component comprises B₂H₆. The boron of the B₂H₆ reacts withmetal layer 20 to become alloyed into the metal as a metal boride and/orsolid solution. The reaction releases hydrogen gas. Typically, thehydrogen will be recycled by reacting with remaining boron in layer 18to form more diborane which, in turn, reacts with more metal layer 20 toform a mixture of more boride and/or solid solution which, in turn,releases hydrogen to continue the process. The recycling can continuemany times. Naturally, some hydrogen may out-diffuse through the metal10 at any time and be replenished by hydrogen diffusing in through metal20 from the furnace ambient.

FIG. 2 illustrates wafer fragment 10 after volatilization of sacrificialmass 18 (FIG. 1). The volatilization has replaced sacrificial mass 18with a void region 24 between metal layer 20 and substrate 12. Thevolatilized component from sacrificial mass 18 has interacted with metallayer 20 to form a region 22 comprising a mixture of the volatilizedcomponent and the material of metal layer 20. As discussed above, suchmixture can be a metal compound (such as, for example, a carbide), asolid solution, or both. Void 24 is effectively hermitically sealed bymetal-comprising layer 20. Specifically, although small gas molecules(such as H₂) can permeate metal-comprising layer 20, macroscopicstructures and larger molecules cannot penetrate metal-comprising layer20. Thus metal-comprising layer 20 prevents macroscopic contaminants(such as dust), and molecular impurities (such as H₂O, Cl₂ and othermolecules) from entering void 24.

The mixing of the volatilized component with metal layer 20 expands abottom region of metal layer 20 to increase a thickness of layer 20. Thevolume increase of layer 20 is less than the initial volume ofsacrificial mass 18 (FIG. 1) that is volatilized. Accordingly, void 24results. A thickness of void 24 equals the initial thickness of layer 18minus the increase in thickness of metal layer 20. Such thickness ofvoid region 24 can be estimated. An exemplary application utilizes ametal layer 20 that is 10,700 angstroms thick and consists essentiallyof titanium, and a sacrificial mass 18 that is 6000 angstroms thick andconsists essentially of amorphous carbon with a density of 2 grams percubic centimeter. In such exemplary application, volatilization of mass18 will expand the thickness of titanium layer 20 to about 12,200angstroms and leave a void 24 having a thickness of about 4,500angstroms.

As another example, metal layer 20 has a thickness of about 10,700angstroms and consists essentially of titanium, and sacrificial mass 18has a thickness of about 12,000 angstroms and consists essentially ofone or more carbon materials having a density of roughly 1 gram percubic centimeter (such as, for example, polymethyl methacrylate,polystyrene, or nylon). Volatilization of layer 18 increases thethickness of metal layer 20 to about 12,200 angstroms, and leaves a voidregion 24 having a thickness of greater than about 10,000 angstroms.

As yet another example, metal layer 20 comprises a thickness of about10,900 angstroms of tantalum, and sacrificial mass 18 comprises athickness of about 12,000 angstroms of a carbon compound having adensity of about 1 gram per cubic centimeter. Volatilization of layer 18increases a thickness of metal layer 20 to about 13,900 angstroms andleaves a void 24 having a thickness of about 9,000 angstroms. It isnoted that utilization of tantalum in metal layer 20 can beadvantageous. Specifically, the resistivity of tantalum carbide (TaC) isabout 30 microohm-cm while that of titanium carbide (TiC) is from about180 to about 250 microohm-cm. Also, it is noted that a 9,000 angstromthick void space is approximately equivalent to a 36,000 angstrom thicksilicon material in terms of dielectric properties.

In one sense, metal layer 20 can function as a sponge for absorbing avolatile component from sacrificial mass 18. Accordingly, the amount ofsacrificial mass 18 that can be volatilized can be limited by anabsorptive capacity of metal layer 16. Such absorptive capacity can beincreased by increasing a thickness of metal layer 20, as well as bychanging internal metallurgical properties of metal layer 20. Forinstance, metal layer 20 will typically have greater absorptiveproperties when the metal layer comprises small grain sizes, rather thanlarge grain sizes.

A rate at which material from sacrificial mass 18 is incorporated intometal layer 20 can be limited in part by a rate of diffusion of materialfrom layer 18 into metal layer 20. However, it is noted that diffusionof carbon and boron into refractory metal layers is typically quiterapid. For example, at 700° C., the diffusivity of carbon into bulktantalum is 1.4×10⁻¹¹ cm² per second. Accordingly, carbon will diffuseto a depth of about 10,000 angstroms in tantalum in roughly 15 minutesat 700° C. Carbon diffuses even faster into iron (at a rate of about6.1×10⁻⁷ cm² per second in bulk iron). Accordingly, it can beadvantageous to use iron as the metal layer 20 in some instances.

A rate at which material from sacrificial mass 18 is transferred tometal layer 20 can also be limited, at least in part, by a rate at whichhydrogen permeates through metal layer 20 to reach sacrificial mass 18.A rate of hydrogen permeability through metal layer 20 can be increasedby, for example, increasing a pressure of hydrogen against metal layer20 during a reaction process. In the event that hydrogen permeationthrough metal layer 20 is impeded by formation of contaminants withinmetal layer 20 (such as contaminants formed from minor oxygen, nitrogenor sulphur contamination of a source hydrogen gas), temperature and/ortime variations can be developed to maintain suitable hydrogenpermeability within a metal layer 20.

It is noted that if layer 22 comprises a carbide, such layer may bebrittle. Accordingly, it is generally preferable to utilize a metallayer 20 sufficiently thick such that only a portion of the layer isconverted to a carbide. The carbide is then supported by a mechanicallyless brittle top metal portion of layer 20. An alternative method ofincreasing a strength of metal layer 20 is to form a second metal layer(not shown) over metal layer 20 to provide additional mechanicalstrength for supporting metal layer 20. Such second metal layer cancomprise, for example, palladium, and can be formed either before orafter diffusion of a component from sacrificial mass 18 into metal layer20. Palladium has desirable characteristics of being permeable tohydrogen, non-reactive with carbon, and having a low resistivity (lowerthan titanium and tantalum).

A second embodiment of the invention is described with reference toFIGS. 3 and 4. Referring to FIG. 3, a semiconductor wafer fragment 30comprises a substrate 32 and a support material 34 formed over substrate32. Substrate 32 and support material 34 can comprise identicalmaterials as those discussed above regarding substrate 12 and supportmaterial 14, respectively, of FIG. 1. An opening 36 extends withinsupport material 34 and is filled with a sacrificial mass 38. Althoughin the shown embodiment opening 36 is entirely filled sacrificial mass38, the invention encompasses other embodiments wherein opening 36 isonly partially filled with sacrificial mass 38. Opening 36 can be formedby methods known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. Such methodscan include, for example, photolithography. Sacrificial mass 38 cancomprise identical materials to those of sacrificial mass 18 of FIG. 1.Sacrificial mass 38 forms a column over substrate 32, and comprises adifferent aspect ratio at a lower end of the column than at an upper endof the column. In the shown embodiment, the lower portion of sacrificialmass 38 comprises a narrower lateral width than does the upper portion.

A metal-comprising layer 40 is formed over support 34 and sacrificialmass 38. Metal-comprising layer 40 can comprise identical components tothose discussed above regarding metal-comprising layer 20 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 4, wafer fragment 30 is exposed to conditions whichhydrogenate the material of sacrificial mass 38 (FIG. 3) and transportsuch material to metal-comprising layer 40. The transport of materialfrom sacrificial mass 38 leaves a void 44 between metal layer 40 andsubstrate 32. In the shown embodiment, substantially all of sacrificialmass 38 has been volatilized and transported to metal-comprising layer40. However, it is to be understood that the invention encompasses otherembodiments (not shown) wherein only a portion of sacrificial mass 38 isvolatilized and transported.

The transported material of sacrificial mass 38 combines chemically withpart of metal layer 40 to form a region 46 comprising, for example,metal carbide, a solid solution, or a mixture of both. The conditionsfor volatilizing and transporting components of sacrificial mass 38 canbe similar to those discussed above for volatilizing and transportingcomponents of sacrificial mass 18 (FIG. 1). Specifically, suchconditions can comprise hydrogenating a component of sacrificial mass38.

An alternative description of the embodiment of FIG. 3 is that opening36 is a well extending within support material 34, and sacrificial mass38 is formed within such well. It is noted that in the context of thisdocument, the term “well” can refer to an opening extending through asupport structure (as shown), or can refer to a cavity extending onlypartially into a substrate (not shown), or a combination of an openingextending through a support structure and a cavity extending onlypartially into a substrate. Support structure 34 defines sidewalls 35 ofwell 36. Sidewalls 35 have outermost surfaces 37, and metal-comprisinglayer 40 is formed over such outermost surfaces. Sidewalls 35 cancomprise insulative material, such as, for example, silicon dioxide, orcan comprise a conductive material, such as, for example, aluminum.Preferably, sidewalls 35 comprise a material that does not react with avolatilized component of sacrificial mass 38 under the volatilizationconditions. For instance, if sacrificial mass 38 comprises carbon, andthe volatilized component is in the form of methane, sidewalls 35 cancomprise one or more of Cu, Ag, or Au, and metal-comprising layer 40 cancomprise one or more of Ti, Ta, Zr, V, Nb, W and similar metals. Thecarbon can then be volatilized at a temperature of less than about 800°C. Under such temperature conditions the volatilized carbon will reactwith layer 40 and not with sidewalls 35.

Another embodiment of the invention is described with reference to FIGS.5 and 6. Referring to FIG. 5, a semiconductor wafer fragment 50 isillustrated. Wafer fragment 50 comprises a substrate 52 and a supportmaterial 54 formed over substrate 52. Substrate 52 and support material54 can comprise identical materials to those discussed above forsubstrate 12 and support material 14 of the FIG. 1 construction. In theshown embodiment, substrate 52 comprises a semiconductive materialhaving a diffusion region 53 formed therein. Diffusion region 53 is aregion conductively doped with a conductivity-enhancing dopant. Anopening 56 extends through support material 54 and to diffusion region53. A first metal layer 55 is formed at a lower portion of opening 56,and a sacrificial mass 58 is formed over first metal layer 55. Firstmetal layer 55 can be formed by conventional methods, such as, forexample, chemical vapor deposition. Sacrificial mass 58 can be formed byidentical methods as those discussed above regarding formation ofsacrificial mass 18 of the FIG. 1 construction. A second metal layer 60is formed over sacrificial mass 58. Second metal layer 60 can compriseidentical materials to those discussed above regarding metal layer 20 ofthe FIG. 1 construction.

Referring to FIG. 6, wafer fragment 50 is subjected to conditions whichvolatilize at least a portion of sacrificial mass 58 (FIG. 5) andtransport such portion to metal layer 60. Such volatilization conditionscan comprise hydrogenating a component of sacrificial mass 58 inaccordance with procedures discussed above regarding the embodiment ofFIGS. 1 and 2.

The transfer of material from sacrificial mass 58 to metal 60 forms aregion 66 of material from mass 58 within metal 60, and leaves a void64. Region 66 can comprise either a solid solution, or a reactionproduct, similar to the solid solutions and reaction products discussedabove regarding region 22 of FIG. 2.

The construction of FIG. 6 comprises a capacitor wherein first metallayer 55 is a first capacitor electrode, second metal layer 60 is asecond capacitor electrode, and void 64 is a dielectric layer betweenthe capacitor electrodes. In the shown embodiment, void 64 is the onlydielectric between electrodes 55 and 60. However, it is to be understoodthat the invention encompasses other embodiments (not shown) whereinadditional dielectric materials are provided between electrodes 55 and60. For instance, one or both of silicon nitride or silicon dioxide canbe provided over electrode 55 prior to provision of sacrificial mass 58.The dielectric formed between electrodes 55 and 66 would then comprisethe silicon dioxide and/or silicon nitride, in addition to the voidspace 64. Also, it is noted that insulative spacers can be provided overelectrode 55 and extending through sacrificial layer 58 to metal layer60. Such spacers can then support metal layer 60 over metal layer 55after formation of void 64. Additionally, it is noted that although theshown embodiment illustrates an entirety of a volatilized componentbeing transported to upper electrode 60, the invention encompasses otherembodiments (not shown) wherein at least some of the volatilizedcomponent is transported to lower electrode 55.

Another embodiment of the invention is described with reference to FIGS.7 and 8. FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a top view and a cross-sectional sideview, respectively, of a semiconductive wafer 100. As shown in thecross-sectional side view of FIG. 8, wafer 100 comprises a substrate102, a sacrificial mass 104, and a metal layer 106 formed oversacrificial mass 104.

Referring to FIG. 7, a pattern 110 is shown in dashed line on a surfaceof wafer 100. In the shown embodiment, pattern 110 comprises a spiral.It is to be understood, however, that pattern 110 can comprise othershapes (not shown). Semiconductive wafer 100 is processed by exposingthe wafer to a hydrogen atmosphere and selectively heating the portionof wafer within pattern 110 while not heating other portions of thewafer. Such selective heating can be accomplished by, for example,directing a laser or focused light source toward the region of pattern110, or, as another example, using a heated metal contact. The heatingof the pattern of region 110 causes sacrificial mass 104 (FIG. 8) to bevolatilized from between substrate 102 and metal layer 106 within theregion 110 to form voids 109 (FIG. 8). However, as other regions ofwafer 100 are not heated, the sacrificial mass 104 is not volatilizedwithin such other regions. A method of the present invention thusenables selected portions of a volume of sacrificial mass 104 to bevolatilized to form precise structures within sacrificial mass 104. Suchprecise structures can be utilized in, for example,microelectromechanical devices. An exemplary device is a chromatographiccolumn. Specifically, a method of the present invention can enable along spiraling conduit to be formed within sacrificial mass 104, andbetween substrate 102 and layer 106. Such conduit can subsequently beused as a column for gas chromatography utilizing conventional methods,after forming ports at the ends of the column for fluid flow.

Another use for the selective patterning described with reference toFIGS. 7 and 8 is during fabrication of integrated circuitry. Forinstance, the selective patterning can be utilized to form differentthickness void regions over different regions of a semiconductive wafer.Accordingly, if, for example, a plurality of capacitors is formed acrossthe surface of the wafer, different portions of the wafer can besubjected to different processing conditions (such as differenttemperatures, or different times of exposures to temperatures) such thatvoids utilized as dielectrics within different capacitors will havedifferent thicknesses. The different capacitors will then have differentcapacitances.

It is noted that in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, asemiconductor wafer assembly is processed. However, it is to beunderstood that the invention encompasses other embodiments (not shown)wherein a sacrificial mass of the present invention is sandwichedbetween nonsemiconductive components and selectively processed to formmicro-electronic machinery. For instance, the substrate 102 describedabove with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 as a semiconductive wafer fragmentcould, in such other embodiments of the invention, comprise ametal-comprising material.

In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described inlanguage more or less specific as to structural and methodical features.It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited tothe specific features shown and described, since the means hereindisclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect.The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms ormodifications within the proper scope of the appended claimsappropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine ofequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of forming a void region associated witha substrate, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a sacrificialmass over the substrate; forming a layer over the mass; subjecting themass to hydrogen to convert a component of the mass to a volatile form;and volatilizing the volatile form of the component from the mass toleave a hermetically-sealed void region between the substrate and thelayer.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the component is carbon.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the sacrificial mass consists essentially ofcarbon and the component is carbon.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein thecomponent is boron.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the layer comprisessilicon dioxide.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the layer comprises ametal-comprising layer.
 7. A method of forming a void region associatedwith a substrate, comprising: providing a substrate; forming asacrificial mass over the substrate, the mass comprising a first volume;subjecting the mass to conditions to convert a component of the mass toa volatile form; and volatilizing the volatile form of the componentfrom the mass to leave the mass comprising a second volume smaller thanthe first volume and to leave an enclosed void region associated withthe substrate.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the component is carbon.9. The method of claim 7 wherein the sacrificial mass consistsessentially of carbon and the component is carbon.
 10. The method ofclaim 7 wherein the component is boron.
 11. The method of claim 7wherein the conditions comprise exposing the mass to hydrogen gas. 12.The method of claim 7 wherein the conditions comprise exposing the massto hydrogen gas and a temperature of greater than or equal to about 400°C.